Gail M. Sullivan, MD Gail M. Sullivan, MD

I heard it through the Grapevine … the one in Texas, that is. Several of our grantees and friends are being recognized this week at the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) meeting for their outstanding contributions to advancing the care of older adults.

Most of our staff are here in Grapevine, Texas, between Dallas and Fort Worth, for the AGS’ Annual Scientific Meeting and we couldn’t be more proud of the well-deserved accolades being bestowed on geriatrics professionals with ties to such John A. Hartford Foundation -supported programs and project partners as Beeson Scholars, Hartford Centers of Excellence, Practice Change Fellows, Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR), the Center to Advance Palliative Care, and the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Gail Sullivan, MD, professor of medicine and associate director for education and program director of the Geriatric Medicine Fellowship at the UConn Center on Aging, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, is the winner of the Dennis W. Jahnigen Memorial Award, which recognizes an AGS member who has made great contributions to geriatrics education. Dr. Sullivan has done important work on many Hartford Foundation grants including the Association of American Medical Colleges project and the Geriatrics in General Internal Medicine Project, which conducted a rigorous assessment of the adequacy of the geriatrics content for in-service and certifying exams.

Cynthia J. Brown, MD Cynthia J. Brown, MD

At the awards ceremony Saturday, two longtime friends and grantees will deliver keynote lectures. As the winner of the Outstanding Scientific Achievement for Clinical Investigation Award, Cynthia J. Brown, MD, associate professor of medicine and director of the Geriatric Medicine Section at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, will describe barriers to the mobility of hospitalized older adults, adverse consequences associated with low mobility, and results of a randomized clinical trial to increase the activity of hospitalized older adults.

The award recognizes achievement in clinical research addressing health care problems of older adults by an investigator who is actively involved in direct patient care, and takes into consideration independence of thought and originality in research—traits the Hartford Foundation recognized in 2001 when Dr. Brown was selected as a Hartford Centers of Excellence (CoE) Scholar. In the years since, Dr. Brown has served as a mentor to other CoE Scholars.

Diane E. Meier, MD Diane E. Meier, MD

And we’re extremely pleased that Diane E. Meier, M.D., will deliver the Henderson State of the Art Lecture, in which she will examine how palliative medicine and geriatrics have developed an evidence base, demonstrating models of care delivery that have improved care quality and reduced costs. Dr. Meier, who is receiving the Edward Henderson Award in recognition of her many invaluable contributions to the field of geriatrics, is the director of the Hartford-supported Center to Advance Palliative Care at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. She also is the Catherine Gaisman Professor of Medical Ethics and Professor of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at Mount Sinai. (Watch our Beyond the Boardroom video interview with Dr. Meier.)

We offer heartfelt congratulations to all the Hartford grantees and friends who are receiving awards this year:

  • Rosemary Laird, MD, medical director for Health First Aging Institute in Melbourne, Fla., winner of the Clinician of the Year Award. Dr. Laird, who also is a clinical associate professor of geriatrics at the Florida State University College of Medicine, is one of our Practice Change Fellows.
  • Bianca L. Methvin, of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, winner of the Clinical Student Research Award. Methvin is studying at a Hartford CoE and is an MSTAR student .
  • Lolita S. Nidadavolu, MD, of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (a Hartford CoE), winner of the Scientist-in-Training Research Award.
  • Beeson Scholars Amy S. Kelley, MD, of Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and Heather E. Whitson, MD, of Duke University Medical Center, winners of the Outstanding Junior Investigator of the Year Award. Kelley is also a former CoE Scholar, while Whitson is a former Hartford Geriatrics Health Outcomes Research Scholar.
  • Manuel A. Eskildsen, MD, of Emory University, winner of the Outstanding Junior Clinical Teacher of the Year Award. Eskildsen is a CoE Scholar.
  • Helen M. Fernandez, MD, Mount Sinai School of Medicine (a Hartford CoE), winner of the Outstanding Mid-career Clinical Teacher of the Year Award.
  • Kimberly S. Johnson , MD, of Duke University Medical Center (a Hartford CoE), winner of the Outstanding Junior Clinical Education Manuscript Award. Dr. Johnson is a former Beeson Scholar and Hartford Geriatrics Health Outcomes Research Scholar.